Comic Vine Review

The Bunker #1 Review

Now you can physically get your hands on Joshua Hale Fialkov and Joe Infurnari's amazing series.

The Good

THE BUNKER is a great comic. First released digitally in chapters online. Now the series is available at a comic shop near you courtesy of the fine folks at Oni Press.

You may have heard us talk about THE BUNKER on podcasts before. Joshua Hale Fialkov has created a fascinating story that hooks you from the beginning. A group of friends set out to bury a time capsule. As they start digging, they discover a buried bunker. Not a big deal, right? Well, this bunker happens to have their names on the outside. What they find inside are letters--letters written to themselves...from the future. The end of the world's coming and it may or may not be their fault. Sound intriguing?

Fialkov gives us a great cast of characters. With the freedom to write them however he wants, their actions and dialogue is natural and realistic. These feel like people you might know.

Joe Infurnari does an amazing job an the art. It's stylized in a way to capture the craziness of everything going on while also giving it a realistic feel. To make this printed version different from the individual digital chapters, Joe even took the time to add color to each panel. It's done in a way that makes it feel like a subtle addition but comes across as truly gorgeous. Because it's not fully colored, there are highlights added to certain parts that makes the experience that much cooler.

The Bad

There's really nothing to complain about. The story will pull you in and it's an oversized issue for $3.99.

The Verdict

This is your chance to check out what is brewing in the mind of Joshua Hale Fialkov. By creating an interesting cast of characters set in a bizarre situation, you'll find yourself wondering what's going to happen next as you take in all the details. Joe Infurnari does a remarkable job on the art and adding color to this printed edition is like getting desert after you just had desert. This is truly a case of doing yourself a favor if you pick it up. Even though I read the digital chapters, I dug the story so much I just had to read it all over again.

Ever since Echoes I've been a big Josh Fialkov fan. Read the first installment of this digitally when it first came out, and it looks way better colored. Another fantastic creator owned property by Fialkov. I can't wait to read more.

Having the first issue be oversized was great considering what's being presented - the way the story unfolded was pretty good as well despite how complex some parts are. Easy to follow and I found myself surprised over and over again with the reveals here and there. The ending was insane.

If there is one nitpick, it would be the initial conversation between the group. Maybe it's a geographical thing, but it's not really how a conversation would go between me and my friends. Maybe cut the swearing in half, and it would be on par. Then again, maybe it's just us being Canadian.

Oh, also the interaction between the girls. I don't think it would be so...calm.

Pretty small gripes overall. Great book - glad my LCS put an issue aside for me.

Gah, this sounds great; had never read any Fialkov until his tenure on Ultimates but he really turned that series around after Sam Humphries had nosedived it into the ground. I'm down (if my LCS has any copies left).

Only problem is how many great new series keep on coming out. My Pull List is buckling; a lot of books are great at the minute and there's few that I really want to drop -_-